AN ENTERAINTMENT BLOG WRITTEN BY ALEX NAGORSKI

Main menu

Category Archives: Scissor Sisters

28-year-old UK pop sensation Cheryl Cole has been poised to break America for quite some time now.

In her home country, Cheryl is a household name. As part of pop group Girls Aloud, Cheryl had twenty top ten consecutive hits, including four number #1s. She then landed two #1 hits of her own with “Fight For This Love” and “Promise This” after launching a solo career in 2009.

With a resume like that, one would assume that Cheryl would have at least been on the radar of American audiences. Yet her music never attracted the airwaves of US radio, causing her to be relatively unknown this side of the Atlantic.

Following a successful stint as a judge on the British version of The X Factor from 2008-2011, Cheryl was offered a spot by Simon Cowell on the judges’ panel of the reality show’s American incarnation. Finally it seemed as though she was going to get her chance to make her real introduction to the land of the free and the home of the Big Mac.

But then like the venomous cockroach that she is, Nicole Scherzinger struck down with her reign of terror and ruined everything. It was almost Shakespearean; the way Nicole poisoned her competition. One devious plan later, Cheryl was out just weeks into the initial auditions and guess who was suddenly first in line to be her replacement? What’s done is done, indeed, Lady Macbeth.

Maybe it’s true then that the third time’s a charm. Because with her new single, “Call My Name,” Cheryl has delivered a smash so massive, its chart impact will most likely be felt across the world. And this time around, America will be no exception.

Released this morning on British radio, “Call My Name” marks the debut collaboration between Cheryl and hit-making producer Calvin Harris. His Midas touch for monster hits (i.e. Rihanna‘s “We Found Love“) and signature emphasis on gargantuan electropop hooks (i.e. Scissor Sisters‘ “Only The Horses“) makes for the perfect formula to re-launch Cheryl from a national into an international pop treasure.

And while Harris’ formula is in no way innovative or boundary pushing, it’s a catchy one that fits perfectly with Cheryl’s voice. We don’t say that Cheryl’s always sounded more like Britney than Christina. We don’t say that she’s not exactly the vocalist of her generation. But now we said it. And if Cheryl is looking for a global genre takeover, submerging herself into a pool of electronica-amplified dance/pop is without question the way to go.

“How do you think I feel when you call my name/ You got me confused by the way I changed/ How do you think I feel when you call my name/ My name/ Say my name, baby,” Cheryl croons over the fist-pump-inducing and addictively repetitive chorus.

The lead single from Cheryl’s upcoming third album, A Million Lights, “Call My Name” is the closest contender so far to being the song of the summer. Which only goes to show that sometimes a feel-good generic dancefloor anthem goes a lot further than a messy mashup of too many genres and sounds (are you taking notes, Nicki Minaj?).

A Million Lights, out in the UK on June 18th via Polydor Records, features collaborations with Alex Da Kid, frequent musical partner Will.I.Am, the glamorously infamous Lana Del Rey, Jim Beanz and newcomers Pantha and HyGrade. With a roster as impressively fruitful as that, it’s pretty safe to assume that Cheryl will score her third #1 album in a row.

And while details of a US release for A Million Lights have yet to surface, Cheryl Cole is a name that American audiences are about to become increasingly familiar with. The singer will be appearing in the upcoming chick-flick What To Expect When You’re Expecting (starring Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez) and has reportedly been offered a role on ABC’s smash sitcom, Modern Family. Meanwhile, the now unemployed Nicole Scherzinger (can you say karma?) is still trying to track down the e-mail addresses of the producers of Where Are They Now?.

With an accompanying Anthony Mandler-directed music video set to drop on Vevo on May 2nd, “Call My Name” is the ticket Cheryl has been waiting for to become America’s favorite new British import. It may not be her first single, but the song marks the debut of a huge new era and turning point for Cheryl – one in which she breaks out from her comfort zone and dominates pop charts everywhere.

Don’t be surprised once Call My Name takes over clubs and airwaves. Between the release of this explosive new single and Cheryl’s string of upcoming high profile appearances, it looks like America will finally catch on and start calling her name after all.